PDV
Revelation That Uncertainty Is Itself An Answer
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He didn't say 'fly'.
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
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- self insert young justice
iamnuff
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He never displays that kind of paranoia in most runs.
Also, there's a couple if criteria for legal insanity. Or things that disqualify you, rather.
I forget most of them, buy 'capable of long-term planning' is one of them.
Because I'd you're really so out of touch with reality that you don't know what's going on, you wouldn't be able to make plans.
Or build bombs.
Or lead a gang.
Joker isn't crazy, he's just evil.
Duke Long
Glomerulus
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It's nice that he takes a moment to speak against a harmful stereotype.
…Then he says something which is definitely going to get him in trouble. He's not really wrong, though. Except that it curtails the feasibility of Suicide Squad-style operations, like was used during the Anti-Life.
Though come to think of it, I wonder how practical it would actually be to execute super-people like that? If they are reasonably good at escaping it might be difficult to hold them long enough to execute them, since it often takes well over a decade for the USA to get around to executing someone. Either it would be a major pain in the ass, or they'd have to change the laws around execution, neither of which seems ideal.
Edit: Though I don't know much about the subject, so maybe they could just speed up the process immensely without changing any laws? Maybe it's just usually a low priority for them?
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Mquz
Versed in the lewd.
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Here in America, in addition to cheerleaders, we have football mascots. And you can't tell me Gritty, with his assault allegations for punching kids, wouldn't be some sort of supervillain. I assume they just don't exist in DC comics
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
You will.
Sort of. There's more to it than that, and since it's been more than twenty years I can talk about it! Firstly, there's the issue of a company owning the patent on a particular novel cultivar. That could mean that a farmer wouldn't be able to keep a seed crop from one year to the next, either because of a licencing agreement or because it's infertile. That it turn grants a small number of agricultural businesses almost complete domination of the farming sector. Added to that the potential issue of what happens if a patented plant germinates on your land and you don't have a licence. Can they sue you?Which is silly, because all crops are 'genetically modified'. It's called selective breeding, and farmers have done it almost as long as there have been farmers. But suggest it's being done by scientists in white coats in labs, and people lose their minds...
Secondly, there's the fact that selective breeding involves making very small changes over vast periods of time. With genetic engineering significantly more divergent characteristics can be introduced. For example, a pesticide resistant form of cotton was created. Sounds useful, until you find out that the farmers dumps huge extra amounts of pesticide on it, slaughtering the local wildlife and killing their own crops because 'resistant' isn't the same as 'immune'.
In the novelisation of Batman Forever, Two-Face gets out of Arkham by bribing a guard. The guard knew that he had the money, and the offer was entirely genuine. The problem came when he offered the guard double or nothing.
My guess is that other than Bullock, Gotham police are either corrupt enough to take a payment, fearful enough not to want to risk retribution, or honest enough not to do it.
He did now.
I'm reminded of the Professor of Psychology who did a study to see whether it was possible to identify psychopaths from brain scans. He found a highly probable one, checked to see who it belonged to... And it was him. Bare in mind that he had a wife and children. He was surprised, but the more he thought about how he felt about people, the more it made sense.
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Someguy Somewhere
The Critical Fumbler
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The corruption in Gotham goes both ways. Same folks that might kill joker might not kill him for a fee. I'm sure in the comics others have used him as a distraction. I could see some of the Families paying to keep him and others around, if only to keep heroes busy with the super crimes, rather then the more profitable regular crimes.
Bud-E
Stand up so I can push you down!
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I doubt it. I think this is just Paul's thoughts and opinions on the death penalty and the insanity plea? I would be cool if this led to a movement or bill being passed, but I doubt it's a plan.
earlyriser
Getting sticky.
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Enter Henry Knight, who is about to get a bunch of support when Klarion does his thing. Assuming that happens in Common Sense verse.
Everes
Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?
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I remember reading this story when it first started. I stopped following it because I got caught up and forgot about it. Now it's at 3 million words. Holy moly man. Have a lot of catching up to do.
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Rebu
hey, little Anna, you're the one
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Don't you think people have tried?
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Cuchulin
Versed in the lewd.
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Exactly what I thought he'd say. This was very much a case of 'want the end, want the means' and that meant turning some bad people into chunky salsa in the name of bettering society. Can't wait to see her bait him into all manner of social gaffes...
Which is silly, because all crops are 'genetically modified'. It's called selective breeding, and farmers have done it almost as long as there have been farmers. But suggest it's being done by scientists in white coats in labs, and people lose their minds...
Farmers used to save a certain amount of their crops to plant for the next harvest, now they are very strongly "Encouraged" to buy expensive pesticide resistant GMOs and if pollen from a nearby farm with GMO crops happens to fertilize your non-GMO crops? You just violated copyright and owe a large corporation a lot of money. The pesticides (which likely contain substances toxic to the to humans) are sold by the same company that makes the GMO crops and you will almost certain have to keep buying the same GMO seeds and the same pesticide from the same company for as long as you keep farming.
The pesticide resistant crops are there to encourage people to use often highly toxic pesticides. People worry about the quality of GMO crops and the unintended consequences of messing directly with the DNA of crops by people trying to make money, as opposed to the slow, steady and careful process of selectively breeding the best crops.
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And That's Okay (part 21)
Mr Zoat
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21st July 2013
16:22 GMT
**Hey there!** Mister J'aarkn is still using a green-skinned human-shaped body, making him stand out amongst the people who aren't quite crowding me only because their people do that with telepathy rather than physical contact. He flies through the air and then lands next to me. **Kinda surprised you're looking me up.**
**I'm afraid that this-** He twitches. **-isn't-. Are you alright?**
**Your mental voice…" He shudders, but this time it's theatrically. **Wooh!**
**Wooh?**
**Yeah yeah. 'cause you've got that snake plugged into you. Gives it kind of a… Treble thing? A resonance. I didn't really pick up on it before because I wasn't really concentrating on that, and…** He shrugs sheepishly. **I was out of practice. But when I listen harder it stands out real hard.** His smile shifts to libidinous. **If you know what I mean.**
**And it was nothing to do with your anthrophilia?**
**Eh-aaaaaaaahhh…**
**Don't worry, I'm not annoyed. It's entirely natural that you would unavoidably find yourself reacting to me.**
**Oh? Oh, okay. My place or-.**
**Action does not mechanically follow thought.**
**Playing hard to get.** He points both forefingers at me. **Like it. But seriously, what are you doing here?**
**Professional reasons. Firstly.** I take a binder out of subspace. **The United States has relaxed immigration requirements for skilled workers. This-**
**Gimmegimmegimme!**
**-is the paperwork you will need to complete if you wish to apply for a work visa. Other people can also apply, but they'll need to demonstrate a familiarity with American law and custom that I imagine they'll struggle with.**
**Heh, doubt it.**
**Oh? Why's that?**
**I'm something of an anthropologist.** I wince. **I mean, professionally. My memories of my time on Earth are hot commodities. Even the Martians who aren't interested in you the way I am find the whole thing fascinating, and I'm the leading expert. I've been teaching classes.**
**You've gone full circle.**
**No, people actually listen now. And it's mostly-** His grin returns. **-adult classes.**
**It's about your lawyer. Mister Leas?**
He wiggles the folder at me. **Can't really get his help with this from here. But I should have enough assets in the U.S. to cover his fee, so let him know that I'll be in touch… Sometime.**
**That's not what I meant.**
His face falls. **Something happen to him?**
**He had to get a new job, but otherwise, no, not as far as I know. I was just wondering how you met him.**
**Ah… Why?**
**Routine background check. His work brings him into frequent contact with a man called Bruce Wayne, whose wellbeing is judged vital to the continued functioning of human civilisation.**
**Huh?**
**What?**
**What d'you mean, 'vital to the continued…' Thing. Did something happen?**
**Yes. Are you aware of the Life Equation?**
**Huh? Ah, I'm not really religious, but I've heard of it, I know the idea.**
**It turns out that there's also an Anti-Life Equation, and someone hit us with part of it. It took a month for us to get rid of it, and we've spent five months trying to keep things running.**
**Anti-Life?** I nod. **Whoh. That's like you're telling me that Super Satan exists.**
**Both Lucifer and The First of the Fallen are real beings. I'm not sure what would qualify as 'super' in this context, and Satanus has been cast down. By me.**
**Uh. Huh. I don't know what to say about that.**
**When did you first meet Mister Leas?**
**Ah… Not… Sure exactly-. You could probably just subpoena his records.**
**To the best of your recollection.**
**I think it was seventy-nine? Before eighty-three for sure. You should be able to find his name in my old contracts.**
**There are few records that can't be fabricated.**
**And you think the memories of a guy living on a planet of telepaths is more reliable?**
**It's an extra source. Why 'before eighty-three for sure'?**
**That's when I became a full-time adult entertainer. He's the guy who negotiated my contract. I mean, I knew him before that, but I'm not completely sure when I started knowing him well enough to provide a reference. I think it was seventy-nine, 'cause that was when I started looking for a full-time contract lawyer, but it coulda been eighty or eighty-one.**
**What made you pick him?**
**I liked the way he dealt with the new human talent. Like… I get it's not a high-status job, and… Some of the people involved came from bad places or had addiction problems… The ones he worked with felt…** He taps his forehead. **Happier about things.**
**Oh?**
**I get.. not every human's cut out for it. I respect his screening process.**
**How did it go?**
**I had a thirty year career, so pretty good.**
**No, I mean, the screening process. How did he assess potential employees?**
**Oh, I don't know. I just saw the result.**
I nod, palming a New God sensor and a rune stone. **Please focus your mind on your professional interactions with Mister Leas.**
**Okay..?**
**[Vague images of a man in a suit, his face either serious or politely smiling, hands being shaken and paperwork read and completed.]**
Rune stone isn't showing anything, and at this sort of distance and time removed it would be strange if it was. But the sensor is weakly lighting up. And that's a… Big problem.
**Thank you, Mister J'aarkn. I'll be back in a week for your documentation.**
16:22 GMT
**Hey there!** Mister J'aarkn is still using a green-skinned human-shaped body, making him stand out amongst the people who aren't quite crowding me only because their people do that with telepathy rather than physical contact. He flies through the air and then lands next to me. **Kinda surprised you're looking me up.**
**I'm afraid that this-** He twitches. **-isn't-. Are you alright?**
**Your mental voice…" He shudders, but this time it's theatrically. **Wooh!**
**Wooh?**
**Yeah yeah. 'cause you've got that snake plugged into you. Gives it kind of a… Treble thing? A resonance. I didn't really pick up on it before because I wasn't really concentrating on that, and…** He shrugs sheepishly. **I was out of practice. But when I listen harder it stands out real hard.** His smile shifts to libidinous. **If you know what I mean.**
**And it was nothing to do with your anthrophilia?**
**Eh-aaaaaaaahhh…**
**Don't worry, I'm not annoyed. It's entirely natural that you would unavoidably find yourself reacting to me.**
**Oh? Oh, okay. My place or-.**
**Action does not mechanically follow thought.**
**Playing hard to get.** He points both forefingers at me. **Like it. But seriously, what are you doing here?**
**Professional reasons. Firstly.** I take a binder out of subspace. **The United States has relaxed immigration requirements for skilled workers. This-**
**Gimmegimmegimme!**
**-is the paperwork you will need to complete if you wish to apply for a work visa. Other people can also apply, but they'll need to demonstrate a familiarity with American law and custom that I imagine they'll struggle with.**
**Heh, doubt it.**
**Oh? Why's that?**
**I'm something of an anthropologist.** I wince. **I mean, professionally. My memories of my time on Earth are hot commodities. Even the Martians who aren't interested in you the way I am find the whole thing fascinating, and I'm the leading expert. I've been teaching classes.**
**You've gone full circle.**
**No, people actually listen now. And it's mostly-** His grin returns. **-adult classes.**
**It's about your lawyer. Mister Leas?**
He wiggles the folder at me. **Can't really get his help with this from here. But I should have enough assets in the U.S. to cover his fee, so let him know that I'll be in touch… Sometime.**
**That's not what I meant.**
His face falls. **Something happen to him?**
**He had to get a new job, but otherwise, no, not as far as I know. I was just wondering how you met him.**
**Ah… Why?**
**Routine background check. His work brings him into frequent contact with a man called Bruce Wayne, whose wellbeing is judged vital to the continued functioning of human civilisation.**
**Huh?**
**What?**
**What d'you mean, 'vital to the continued…' Thing. Did something happen?**
**Yes. Are you aware of the Life Equation?**
**Huh? Ah, I'm not really religious, but I've heard of it, I know the idea.**
**It turns out that there's also an Anti-Life Equation, and someone hit us with part of it. It took a month for us to get rid of it, and we've spent five months trying to keep things running.**
**Anti-Life?** I nod. **Whoh. That's like you're telling me that Super Satan exists.**
**Both Lucifer and The First of the Fallen are real beings. I'm not sure what would qualify as 'super' in this context, and Satanus has been cast down. By me.**
**Uh. Huh. I don't know what to say about that.**
**When did you first meet Mister Leas?**
**Ah… Not… Sure exactly-. You could probably just subpoena his records.**
**To the best of your recollection.**
**I think it was seventy-nine? Before eighty-three for sure. You should be able to find his name in my old contracts.**
**There are few records that can't be fabricated.**
**And you think the memories of a guy living on a planet of telepaths is more reliable?**
**It's an extra source. Why 'before eighty-three for sure'?**
**That's when I became a full-time adult entertainer. He's the guy who negotiated my contract. I mean, I knew him before that, but I'm not completely sure when I started knowing him well enough to provide a reference. I think it was seventy-nine, 'cause that was when I started looking for a full-time contract lawyer, but it coulda been eighty or eighty-one.**
**What made you pick him?**
**I liked the way he dealt with the new human talent. Like… I get it's not a high-status job, and… Some of the people involved came from bad places or had addiction problems… The ones he worked with felt…** He taps his forehead. **Happier about things.**
**Oh?**
**I get.. not every human's cut out for it. I respect his screening process.**
**How did it go?**
**I had a thirty year career, so pretty good.**
**No, I mean, the screening process. How did he assess potential employees?**
**Oh, I don't know. I just saw the result.**
I nod, palming a New God sensor and a rune stone. **Please focus your mind on your professional interactions with Mister Leas.**
**Okay..?**
**[Vague images of a man in a suit, his face either serious or politely smiling, hands being shaken and paperwork read and completed.]**
Rune stone isn't showing anything, and at this sort of distance and time removed it would be strange if it was. But the sensor is weakly lighting up. And that's a… Big problem.
**Thank you, Mister J'aarkn. I'll be back in a week for your documentation.**
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Oglymogly
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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I feel so so Dumb. Sleez appears in one of my favorite comic books, I even went out and hunted down a physical copy.
Darko
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"His smile"
Yeah, mind control helps with that.
Chojin Patriarch
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I still picture him as resembling Ron Jeremy, but now in green. And I will not stop, because that fits so well. I see he's still quite popular amongst Martian fans of human culture. All that first-hand knowledge he's happy to share, hmm?
Don't look down, OL, he's probably showing a decidedly human reaction to your telepathy.
I always do like the effect of someone speaking with the hint of a second voice underneath, or a subtle thrum of power.
Certainly, OL is nothing if not easy on the eyes, I bet. Especially in his 'working' light armour.
Even if OL was that interested, he is with someone else, and it's not that much of an open relationship.
Oooh. Would 'film star' really qualify, though? Even for an actor who could take any appearance he needed to for a role, no lengthy training regiment needed?
Remember stuff like Chris Hensworth going from 'Daddy!'-bod to dad-bod for Endgame?Well, at least until someone with up-to-date experience visits.
Someone other than you, Johnny-boy.
Huh. Surprising. Are there really that many people interested in American culture (which, to be fair, would be what he's most familiar with.)
...Ah, of course. Xenophiles are probably some of his best students.
I suspect most of those assets are long-defunct after the Anti-Life, but there might still be something. Property, hard assets, that sort of thing?
...Not yet. OL might want to explain why he's curious.
Oh, no reason...
No doubt OL is keeping any hint of Bruce having some other role well out of mind.
Oh, right. Mars probably isn't up to speed on the latest news from Earth, I guess.
And yes, that is actually a thing for Mars, it seems. Especially here, where Mars has a thriving population, rather than the dead world of the mainline universe.
Eh, OL's got a history with 'Satans'. Remembering that it's actually a title, not a singular entity.
Presumably he was offering mental context for each name, otherwise they would be totally meaningless to J'aarkn.
That's assuming he's got any undoctored ones around.
Kind of vague. We sure J'aarkn himself didn't get a dose of Sleez's mind-mickies?
At least the telepath can try and jog his own memory. Or get someone he trusts to do it for him.
And I suppose that period was a bit of a blur, because, well... Late-seventies, early eighties... All those lovely drugs...
...Sure, that's not suspicious at all.
I mean, I get it, some people enjoy the work. Others... They can't all be enthusiasts, can they?I'm guessing the term 'casting couch' played a part.
I'd ask if that'd work, but magic. It doesn't always have to make sense, only that it does the job.
I'm betting something other than his normal goblin-ish appearance. Probably helps to picture a sleazy porn director type.
Ah, New God tech. It just works.
So, basically confirmed that Sleez has been operating on Earth since at least the seventies. I doubt he single-handedly invented the pornography industry, humans could handle that just fine. But I suspect he's made things progressively sleazier as time went on, if only to empower himself if someone came looking. And now OL is looking for him, even if he hasn't made the connection yet.
BR549
This is filth! FILTH!!
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Earth-16 Gotham City is, canonically by maps shown in an episode, in Connecticut.
NightmareWarden
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So what, Batman and Batwoman made a porno in exchange for the throne?I still picture him as resembling Ron Jeremy, but now in green. And I will not stop, because that fits so well. I see he's still quite popular amongst Martian fans of human culture. All that first-hand knowledge he's happy to share, hmm?
Don't look down, OL, he's probably showing a decidedly human reaction to your telepathy.
I always do like the effect of someone speaking with the hint of a second voice underneath, or a subtle thrum of power.
Certainly, OL is nothing if not easy on the eyes, I bet. Especially in his 'working' light armour.
Even if OL was that interested, he is with someone else, and it's not that much of an open relationship.
Oooh. Would 'film star' really qualify, though? Even for an actor who could take any appearance he needed to for a role, no lengthy training regiment needed?
Well, at least until someone with up-to-date experience visits.
Someone other than you, Johnny-boy.
Huh. Surprising. Are there really that many people interested in American culture (which, to be fair, would be what he's most familiar with.)
...Ah, of course. Xenophiles are probably some of his best students.
I suspect most of those assets are long-defunct after the Anti-Life, but there might still be something. Property, hard assets, that sort of thing?
...Not yet. OL might want to explain why he's curious.
Oh, no reason...
No doubt OL is keeping any hint of Bruce having some other role well out of mind.
Oh, right. Mars probably isn't up to speed on the latest news from Earth, I guess.
And yes, that is actually a thing for Mars, it seems. Especially here, where Mars has a thriving population, rather than the dead world of the mainline universe.
Eh, OL's got a history with 'Satans'. Remembering that it's actually a title, not a singular entity.
Presumably he was offering mental context for each name, otherwise they would be totally meaningless to J'aarkn.
That's assuming he's got any undoctored ones around.
Kind of vague. We sure J'aarkn himself didn't get a dose of Sleez's mind-mickies?
At least the telepath can try and jog his own memory. Or get someone he trusts to do it for him.
And I suppose that period was a bit of a blur, because, well... Late-seventies, early eighties... All those lovely drugs...
...Sure, that's not suspicious at all.
I'm guessing the term 'casting couch' played a part.
I'd ask if that'd work, but magic. It doesn't always have to make sense, only that it does the job.
I'm betting something other than his normal goblin-ish appearance. Probably helps to picture a sleazy porn director type.
Ah, New God tech. It just works.
So, basically confirmed that Sleez has been operating on Earth since at least the seventies. I doubt he single-handedly invented the pornography industry, humans could handle that just fine. But I suspect he's made things progressively sleazier as time went on, if only to empower himself if someone came looking. And now OL is looking for him, even if he hasn't made the connection yet.
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
DAT_NOOB
Accused of writing in a far away land
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"Not only is Super Satan real, but I cast down one of the candidates."
WereDragon
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Wonder what skill he will be claiming. I cannot imagine the part of the entertainment industry he previously worked in is doing all that well.
Being cast down by the Illustrious of the Orange Lantern Corps doesn't really disqualify someone from being super. Dude has kicked the arses of the entire justice league. Dethroned Zeus without even touching him. Toppled and exalted civilisations. Inflicted viable damage on a fragment of Anti-Monitor armour. If he is your benchmark then there are very few 'super' beings anywhere.
Signaller
Not too sore, are you?
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How I discovered I have the brain of a psychopath | James Fallon
James Fallon: I found I had the brain imaging pattern and genetic make up of a full-blown psychopath while conducting research – and yet, I turned out to be a successful scientist and family man
CrazyNoVa
Not too sore, are you?
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Okay, so according to your rules, the more a New God practices their own domain, the more powerful they become, right? That's why New Gods who have been practicing their own domains for a long time are so powerful.
So, since Sleez is the god of pornography…How powerful would pretending to be a porn director and making adult content on Earth for a few decades theoretically make him?
So, since Sleez is the god of pornography…How powerful would pretending to be a porn director and making adult content on Earth for a few decades theoretically make him?
Darko
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Probably decently strong.
However, that doesn't mean that he's a threat to Paul.
Paul was easily able to beat Kanto, and that guy has been a New God for centuries.
Though Batman may have given him something to counteract Paul.
Steelplaza
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The funny thing is, Batman would be better off switching out Tetch for Sleez as his "mind control chair maintenance guy" if he could figure out how to get Tetch on side.
Sure Sleez is somewhat about mind control, so he probably knows "enough", but he's an old New God with his own agenda and working with him is always going to be about corralling an evil guy. On the other hand, Tetch is a new New God but mind control is his specialty and I'm sure he'll pick up the ins and outs of New God technology pretty quick. He is after all an Earth Mad Scientist, even if a specialized one. It's not like Tetch is ideologically opposed to mind control or anything; he was perfectly willing to use his own mind control on the OMACs.
Sure Sleez is somewhat about mind control, so he probably knows "enough", but he's an old New God with his own agenda and working with him is always going to be about corralling an evil guy. On the other hand, Tetch is a new New God but mind control is his specialty and I'm sure he'll pick up the ins and outs of New God technology pretty quick. He is after all an Earth Mad Scientist, even if a specialized one. It's not like Tetch is ideologically opposed to mind control or anything; he was perfectly willing to use his own mind control on the OMACs.
LazySloth13
Versed in the lewd.
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I bet this version of Sleez might not be so powerful as his comic book counterpart so he's mostly content in building himself a little bubble of depravity and uses the porn industry to achieve that goal, with metahumans or desperate/vulnerable people making for easy targets of opportunity, and with the current state of the world sees people in need of some form of pleasurable escapism with figures like Bruce Wayne and their companies as bodies to latch onto in order to achieve his desires. Enter the entertainment department whisper or lean on some people who are looking for some new avenue to success with excuses as to while adult entertainment will work then let it slowly but surely fester, after all sex sells and in times like these people will buy anything that makes them happy or content.
And ironically his plan to infiltrate the company is entirely his own with no connection to The Light with many of the members insulted that Paul or the heroes would think they would associate with the perverted new god.
And ironically his plan to infiltrate the company is entirely his own with no connection to The Light with many of the members insulted that Paul or the heroes would think they would associate with the perverted new god.
Common Sense (part 18)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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Common Sense (part 18)
2nd October 2010
14:53 GMT -5
"…very kind of you, Detective." I make an amused exhalation. "I'm not a big drinker -because if you've seen what someone drunk in charge of a car can do, imagine what someone drunk in charge of a power ring can do- but if I'm in the area I'll certainly take you up on that. Thank you."
"No, thank you."
There's a click as the caller hangs up. It's not really surprising that the Gotham Police Department are very happy with me right now, even if enthusiasm from their senior officers is considerably more muted. I don't think City Hall has released a statement yet, but I… Can't honestly say that I've been paying them much attention.
Leslie looks curious. "So what does happen if you get drunk?"
"Uuh. Well… Alright, power rings are empathic tools. You need to be thinking the right sort of thoughts to use them well. Green power rings require the person using them to concentrate on the shape they're trying to create. If their focus is good, it's stronger than steel. If they get distracted, it's as strong as jelly."
"So if they're drunk, they can't focus."
"Not.. usually. Not on anything complicated."
"So what's the difference between green and orange?"
"Rather than focusing on the object, I have to focus on… How much I want to achieve the thing I'm.. working towards. Last time I got drunk I mostly just wanted to crawl into bed, but there's a chance I could end up doing full-powered free-associating without any sense of restraint, and… That would be bad."
She frowns. "Can't you just take it off?"
"Sure. Would you?"
That hits her, causing her to sit back for a moment. She opens her mouth to answer, then closes it again with a frown. Then her eyes light up.
"You got a second one of those?"
"Ah… There are others. Unfortunately, they're on a planet called Okaara, and while that's not too far away from here as these things go, they're also guarded by an army of ghost Lanterns and the second most dangerous being in this galaxy. So it's… Not really practical."
"Ah, damn it!" She chuckles quietly. "Guess that's me out of luck."
"I had to borrow a charger just to keep using it. Tech support for power rings is terrible."
"Okay, that's my dreams of galactic domination crushed. Next caller is… Gretchen from Coventry. You're on, Gretchen."
"Hey, Orange Lantern?"
"Hello Gretchen. What do you want to know?"
"At the start… Ah, I watched the recording, and.. right at the start, you dropped some missiles?"
I nod. "Taiwanese Brave Wind anti-ship missiles."
"So they weren't… They weren't something you made with your ring? They were actual missiles?"
"While I could make missiles -actual physical missiles- with the ring, in this case I had them left over from a mission in Taiwan. Construct missiles are a bit pointless for me, because they don't have any actual explosives in them. It's all construct. For a Green Lantern, using a familiar shape like that makes it easier to focus, but I use either orange energy pulses because they're.. simple and easy, or a construct railgun which I use to shoot physical projectiles."
"Do you have a.. lot of missiles?"
"No, that's it. I'm completely out, and I'd like to thank the Taiwanese government for not asking where they went after that thing in September. Ah, is there something you're working up to asking me about them?"
"Sept-? Oh, the peace conference attack, right. Ah, sorry, yeah, I was wondering… How much missiles, and… Weapons in general do superheroes have?"
"Ah… Well, I've got a few thousand slugs for my railgun constructs; solid, incendiary, and… A few other things. Ah, I've got a couple of handguns as holdout weapons, they're pretty conventional. Most superheroes I know about don't have a huge arsenal, because… Not blowing my own trumpet here, but unless it's a tactical nuclear device or something, I'm almost always better off just using the ring. With the Injustice League I dropped missiles because they'd be harder to spot, but I could have done something very similar with a big rock. Even a neophyte Lantern like me could… Destroy, say, a city, in a few minutes with a little preparation. Other high-power superheroes are in a similar position; guns just aren't worth it, and larger ordnance is a distraction. So if you weren't worried about me having the ring, there's no point worrying about me having anything else."
"Uh. Uh. I… Uh, I guess that makes sense. Ah… Thanks."
There's another click as the call ends. Leslie frowns at me. "What was that about Taiwan?"
"Oh, I got called in to help with the security at a North Rhelasia/South Rhelasia peace conference. Some unpleasant people decided to disrupt it by stealing some Taiwanese missiles and firing them at the hotel. I caught them. It wasn't that big a deal."
"I don't know. I think after sixty years it'd be kind of embarrassing for them both to get blown up by someone else."
"Hah! Yeah, you're right. Ironic, certainly. Ah, as far as I could tell, the conference didn't really progress things, more… Reduce the level of mutual antagonism to the level it was a month before?"
"You think it woulda gone better if you'd let the missiles hit?"
"No, no. It's not two people causing a problem. It's two incompatible social systems with mutually exclusive goals. They can't reconcile, and with nuclear weapons and social fanaticism they can't conquer one another. Letting the missiles hit would have interfered with intergovernmental communication, and… The envoys they sent were probably the most reasonable people they had available, so the replacements would be worse. And, yes, we'll all be back there in a year or two, but that's a small price to pay for not having a nuclear war."
"I guess… Okay, next up is… Keith, from the Bowery. You're on, Keith."
"Orange Lantern? Ah, thank you for stopping the Injustice Assholes and… Like, doing it permanently."
"You're welcome."
"I was wondering..? Given how you stopped this attack basically single-handedly, do you think you'll be joining the Justice League?"
"While it's true that I fought the… 'Assholes' myself, finding them required a magic ritual that I couldn't have performed by myself. And the Justice League and dozens of unaffiliated superheroes and… Hundreds of police and medical personnel were all involved as well. Without them… And in the case of the doctors, their ongoing efforts, the death toll would have been much higher than it was."
"Yeah, I-. I didn't mean to insult… Them, but the actual fighting was you."
"Justice League membership is conferred by the unanimous vote of all current members. I think I'll be a good candidate eventually, but I've only been doing this a few months and I've got a lot to learn. So, not any time soon, but in the future… Maybe. Really, you'd have to ask every current Justice League member."
"Well, I totally think you should."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence."
Another click, then Leslie looks at me curiously. "And none of them will have a problem with you killing people?"
"It's not like it's a habit. And… Yes, some will. But Wonder Woman, Captain Atom, Hawkman and Hawkwoman have all killed people before, and I suspect that one of the Green Lanterns has. I doubt it will be an automatic black balling offence unless I start making a habit of it, which I don't intend to do."
"You're not? 'cause there's a lot of bad guys out there I wouldn't mind never seeing again."
"Then vote for an expansion of the death penalty. Write to your congressional representatives. Write to the president. Because the thing is… Not all supervillains are murderers. It doesn't make any sense to treat Catwoman or Captain Cold -both of whom have a body count of zero- in the same way as the Joker. This was a product of a very extreme type of attack and level of danger, and I doubt it will be repeated. If you think the law needs to change… Change it."
2nd October 2010
14:53 GMT -5
"…very kind of you, Detective." I make an amused exhalation. "I'm not a big drinker -because if you've seen what someone drunk in charge of a car can do, imagine what someone drunk in charge of a power ring can do- but if I'm in the area I'll certainly take you up on that. Thank you."
"No, thank you."
There's a click as the caller hangs up. It's not really surprising that the Gotham Police Department are very happy with me right now, even if enthusiasm from their senior officers is considerably more muted. I don't think City Hall has released a statement yet, but I… Can't honestly say that I've been paying them much attention.
Leslie looks curious. "So what does happen if you get drunk?"
"Uuh. Well… Alright, power rings are empathic tools. You need to be thinking the right sort of thoughts to use them well. Green power rings require the person using them to concentrate on the shape they're trying to create. If their focus is good, it's stronger than steel. If they get distracted, it's as strong as jelly."
"So if they're drunk, they can't focus."
"Not.. usually. Not on anything complicated."
"So what's the difference between green and orange?"
"Rather than focusing on the object, I have to focus on… How much I want to achieve the thing I'm.. working towards. Last time I got drunk I mostly just wanted to crawl into bed, but there's a chance I could end up doing full-powered free-associating without any sense of restraint, and… That would be bad."
She frowns. "Can't you just take it off?"
"Sure. Would you?"
That hits her, causing her to sit back for a moment. She opens her mouth to answer, then closes it again with a frown. Then her eyes light up.
"You got a second one of those?"
"Ah… There are others. Unfortunately, they're on a planet called Okaara, and while that's not too far away from here as these things go, they're also guarded by an army of ghost Lanterns and the second most dangerous being in this galaxy. So it's… Not really practical."
"Ah, damn it!" She chuckles quietly. "Guess that's me out of luck."
"I had to borrow a charger just to keep using it. Tech support for power rings is terrible."
"Okay, that's my dreams of galactic domination crushed. Next caller is… Gretchen from Coventry. You're on, Gretchen."
"Hey, Orange Lantern?"
"Hello Gretchen. What do you want to know?"
"At the start… Ah, I watched the recording, and.. right at the start, you dropped some missiles?"
I nod. "Taiwanese Brave Wind anti-ship missiles."
"So they weren't… They weren't something you made with your ring? They were actual missiles?"
"While I could make missiles -actual physical missiles- with the ring, in this case I had them left over from a mission in Taiwan. Construct missiles are a bit pointless for me, because they don't have any actual explosives in them. It's all construct. For a Green Lantern, using a familiar shape like that makes it easier to focus, but I use either orange energy pulses because they're.. simple and easy, or a construct railgun which I use to shoot physical projectiles."
"Do you have a.. lot of missiles?"
"No, that's it. I'm completely out, and I'd like to thank the Taiwanese government for not asking where they went after that thing in September. Ah, is there something you're working up to asking me about them?"
"Sept-? Oh, the peace conference attack, right. Ah, sorry, yeah, I was wondering… How much missiles, and… Weapons in general do superheroes have?"
"Ah… Well, I've got a few thousand slugs for my railgun constructs; solid, incendiary, and… A few other things. Ah, I've got a couple of handguns as holdout weapons, they're pretty conventional. Most superheroes I know about don't have a huge arsenal, because… Not blowing my own trumpet here, but unless it's a tactical nuclear device or something, I'm almost always better off just using the ring. With the Injustice League I dropped missiles because they'd be harder to spot, but I could have done something very similar with a big rock. Even a neophyte Lantern like me could… Destroy, say, a city, in a few minutes with a little preparation. Other high-power superheroes are in a similar position; guns just aren't worth it, and larger ordnance is a distraction. So if you weren't worried about me having the ring, there's no point worrying about me having anything else."
"Uh. Uh. I… Uh, I guess that makes sense. Ah… Thanks."
There's another click as the call ends. Leslie frowns at me. "What was that about Taiwan?"
"Oh, I got called in to help with the security at a North Rhelasia/South Rhelasia peace conference. Some unpleasant people decided to disrupt it by stealing some Taiwanese missiles and firing them at the hotel. I caught them. It wasn't that big a deal."
"I don't know. I think after sixty years it'd be kind of embarrassing for them both to get blown up by someone else."
"Hah! Yeah, you're right. Ironic, certainly. Ah, as far as I could tell, the conference didn't really progress things, more… Reduce the level of mutual antagonism to the level it was a month before?"
"You think it woulda gone better if you'd let the missiles hit?"
"No, no. It's not two people causing a problem. It's two incompatible social systems with mutually exclusive goals. They can't reconcile, and with nuclear weapons and social fanaticism they can't conquer one another. Letting the missiles hit would have interfered with intergovernmental communication, and… The envoys they sent were probably the most reasonable people they had available, so the replacements would be worse. And, yes, we'll all be back there in a year or two, but that's a small price to pay for not having a nuclear war."
"I guess… Okay, next up is… Keith, from the Bowery. You're on, Keith."
"Orange Lantern? Ah, thank you for stopping the Injustice Assholes and… Like, doing it permanently."
"You're welcome."
"I was wondering..? Given how you stopped this attack basically single-handedly, do you think you'll be joining the Justice League?"
"While it's true that I fought the… 'Assholes' myself, finding them required a magic ritual that I couldn't have performed by myself. And the Justice League and dozens of unaffiliated superheroes and… Hundreds of police and medical personnel were all involved as well. Without them… And in the case of the doctors, their ongoing efforts, the death toll would have been much higher than it was."
"Yeah, I-. I didn't mean to insult… Them, but the actual fighting was you."
"Justice League membership is conferred by the unanimous vote of all current members. I think I'll be a good candidate eventually, but I've only been doing this a few months and I've got a lot to learn. So, not any time soon, but in the future… Maybe. Really, you'd have to ask every current Justice League member."
"Well, I totally think you should."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence."
Another click, then Leslie looks at me curiously. "And none of them will have a problem with you killing people?"
"It's not like it's a habit. And… Yes, some will. But Wonder Woman, Captain Atom, Hawkman and Hawkwoman have all killed people before, and I suspect that one of the Green Lanterns has. I doubt it will be an automatic black balling offence unless I start making a habit of it, which I don't intend to do."
"You're not? 'cause there's a lot of bad guys out there I wouldn't mind never seeing again."
"Then vote for an expansion of the death penalty. Write to your congressional representatives. Write to the president. Because the thing is… Not all supervillains are murderers. It doesn't make any sense to treat Catwoman or Captain Cold -both of whom have a body count of zero- in the same way as the Joker. This was a product of a very extreme type of attack and level of danger, and I doubt it will be repeated. If you think the law needs to change… Change it."
Last edited:
Ngamer11
Experienced.
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This should be removed.
This should be moved up to connect with the paragraph.
Darko
Connoisseur.
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The previous Common Sense chapters had something similar.
Though part 17 and 18 aren't bonded in a darker color like the rest.